Individuals with Disabilities Education

ActMelissa Kim EDUC 660

5/7/15

TopicsO A History of IDEAO Free and Appropriate EducationO Least Restrictive EnvironmentO IdentificationO Disability Categories of Special

EducationO Individualized Education Program

(IEP)O IEP TeamO General Educator Role

A History of IDEAO Before the 1970s, educational policy for

children with disabilities was decided at the state or local level

O In 1975, U.S. Congress passed the Education of All Handicapped Children Act requiring that all states establish special education programs for children with disabilities

O In 1997, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was amended after years of congressional debate

(O’Dell, 2005, p.5)

A History of IDEA (cont’d)

O 1997 IDEA Amendments include: O Expanded Procedures for the

Discipline of Disabled Students O No Cessation of Educational Services O Increased Reliance on Mediation O Emphasis on Educational Results O Revamped and Streamlined Special

Programs

(Special Education Law, 2005) (O’Dell, 2005, p.5)

A History of IDEA (cont’d)

O In 2004, the IDEA was reauthorized and now officially and federally requires that “to receive funds, every school system in the nation must provide a free, appropriate public education for every child between the ages of three and twenty-one, regardless of how or how seriously he or she may be disabled”

(Hallahan, Kauffmann, & Pullen, 2009, p.28)

Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE)

O “The education of all children with disabilities will in all cases be free of cost to parents and appropriate for the particular student”

O FAPE must meet student’s educational needs by addressing:O Functional and self-help skillsO Social , health, emotional, physical, and

vocational needs O Mastery of academic subjects & basic skills

(Hallahan, Kauffmann, & Pullen, 2009)

Least Restrictive Environment

O Federal special education law mandates that schools place students with disabilities in as normal an environment as possible

O Children in public or private institutions or other care facilities should be educated with children who are not disabled

O Only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child inhibits the satisfactory education in regular classes, should special classes, separate schooling, or removal of children with disabilities occur

(U.S. Department of Education)

IdentificationO As a result of the reauthorization of the IDEA in

2004, identifying learning disabilities in students is a process that requires observation of the students in question, appropriate assessments, and knowledge of the different types of learning disabilities; it is no simple task

O In 1977, to be identified as “learning disabled” one must have had “severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual disability”

O Present-day identification methods are much more complex

(Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2009, p.189)

Identification (cont’d)O Discrepancy Model

O “A comparison between scores on standardized intelligence and achievement tests”

O Left up to individual states, the decision of whether a child was learning disabled traditionally relied on the IQ-achievement discrepancy

O Has various formulas which leave much room for error and imprecise assessmentsO IQ scores are not a strong predictor of reading abilityO This model is useless in earliest elementary school

grades because children do not have much knowledge about reading and math, which makes discrepancy harder to identify

(Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2009, p.189)

Identification (cont’d)O Response to Intervention (RTI)

O A way of identifying learning disability based on multi-tiered model of prevention

O Models vary in regard to number of tiers, types of intervention, criteria used to advance from tier to tier, and the roles of special education versus general education

O A typical model includes three tiers(Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2009,

p.189)

Identification (cont’d)O Response to Intervention (RTI)

O Tier 1-Primary PreventionO Students are screened at beginning of school year using curriculum

based measurementO Teachers monitor student progress of those who are classified “at risk”

O Tier 2-Secondary PreventionO Teachers continue to monitor student progress O Involves small-group tutoring by teacher or highly trained teacher’s

assistantO Students who fall one standard deviation below their classmates on

two criteria are referred for multidisciplinary evaluation; this evaluation determines whether student is learning disabled or has some other disability

O Tier 3-Teritary PreventionO Students are identified as needing special educationO Students are given intensive, individualized programming, and

progress monitoring by special education teachers

(Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2009, p.189)

Disability Categories of Special Education

O Autism—developmental disability affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction

O Deaf-Blindness—hearing and visual impairments resulting in severe communication and other developmental and educational needs

O Deafness—hearing impairment that causes impaired processing of linguistic information

(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)

Disability Categories of Special Education (cont’d)O Emotional Disturbance –an inability to learn

that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; inability to build/maintain satisfactory relationships; inappropriate social behavior; pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression

O Hearing Impairment—impaired hearing that affects a child’s performance

O Intellectual Disability—below average intellectual functioning

(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)

Disability Categories of Special Education (cont’d)O Multiple DisabilitiesO Orthopedic ImpairmentO Other Health ImpairmentO Specific Learning Disability O Speech or Language ImpairmentO Traumatic Brain InjuryO Visual Impairment including

Blindness

(National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

O How a school plans to meet an exceptional student’s unique needs, approved by the student’s parents or guardian

O Essential Components of IEP:O Statements of student’s present levels of educational

performanceO Statements of measurable annual goals/how progress is

monitoredO Description of special education services relevant to the

studentO How the student will participate in the regular education

programO What testing adaptations and modifications student will

needO length and duration of services – services must be explainedO Preparations for adult life and independence

(Center for Parent Information and Resources)

IEP TeamO IEP Team:

O Individuals who work together to design the IEP in order that the student progresses in the general education curriculum

O Comprised of:O parents/guardians of studentO regular and special education teachersO representative of public agency (who is qualified to provide or

supervise specially designed instruction)O an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of

evaluation resultsO other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise

regarding the studentO the student (if appropriate)

(Center for Parent Information and Resources)

General Educator RoleO The number of students with disabilities in general

classrooms is increasing O All educators must make every effort to

accommodate individual students’ needs but the General Educator is called upon to observe and share: O How the student performs in a general education

contextO How the student interacts with peers O The pace and dynamic of the classO Approaches for teaching the class as a wholeO The general education context

(Special Education Law, 2005)

Looking toward the future

O IDEA 2004 was reauthorized over a decade agoO New research and developments in the special

education field have expanded our knowledge about learning disabilities and individuals who live with them

O Issues still arise on how learning disabilities should be identified, classified, and addressed

O The issue of funding special education programs grows more complex by the day

O Educators of all kinds should learn as much as they can about their students who have disabilities so that they may ensure the success of all of their students

Works CitedO Center for Parent Information and Resources. The IEP Team.

Retrieved from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/iep-team/

O Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2009). Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education (11th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

O National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (March 2012).Categories of Disability Under IDEA [Brochure]. Ideas that Work.

O O'Dell, R., & Schaefer, M. (2005). IDEA compliance: A view from rural America. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 24(4), 9-17.

O Special Education Law Overview. (2005). Congressional Digest, 84(1), 6-32.

O U.S. Department of Education. Least restrictive environment. Retrieved from http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,statute,I,B,612,a,5,